This disclosure relates in general to the field of centrifugal separators, and more particularly to a system and method for receptacle wall vibration in a centrifuge.
Prior art of the inventors claims the use of receptacles or hoppers to form most of the outer wall of a centrifugal device (allowed U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,564, Pending 09/11 5/527, and PPA 6/286,745).
The function of these receptacles is to: (1) continuously collect the heavy materials thrown outwards from the center of a centrifugal device; (2) channel and direct these collected heavy materials outward towards and through openings that perforate a centrifuge""s outer wall; and (3) by use of various kinds of shapes, slopes and angles in the walls of the receptacles (PPA 6/286,745), cause the heavy materials to become increasingly compressed and compacted, due to centrifugal force driving them into the ever more confined volume formed by inward sloping receptacle walls converging to the outlet, which is an opening or a nozzle.
Sequence of Effects with Vibration Added to Centrifugal Force and Wall Compression
This invention is an improvement to any centrifugal device which achieves liquid/solid separation by spinning a fluid, which fluid may be comprised of a liquid, a liquid-liquid mixture, a gas or a liquid-gas mixture. The centrifugal force achieved by spinning drives the heavier materials outwards from the device""s center, where such heavier materials contact the sloped and converging walls of collecting receptacles leading to exit outlets or nozzles. These heavier materials may be hard or soft solids, or they may be gelatinous or viscous materials contained in the fluid. The centrifugal force tends to propel such heavier materials from the fluid and outwards into the ever-smaller volume created by the converging and narrowing walls of the receptacles.
However, when the outbound materials strike and land on the inwardly sloping walls of the receptacles, friction against these walls tends to oppose and restrict their continuing and further outward movement. To the degree that these materials thus stick on the sloped walls, their continued outward movement and compression in the ever narrowing outermost zone is impeded.
Causing the receptacle walls to vibrate interferes with this friction between the walls and the outwardly thrown heavier materials, i.e., shears the frictional bond between them, and thus enables their continued and additional outward movement and thus additional compression of them. The added compression thus enabled by applying vibration to the receptacle walls further increases separation of various sorts of heavier materials from a fluid and/or yields removed solids from said fluid which are significantly drier due to the more thorough removal of the liquid portions depending on the process goal.